| Friday Five: Alternatives to Invasives |
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| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Friday, 03 August 2012 | |||
 1. Instead of using Liriope as a groundcover try blue sedge (Carex ). You won’t get the purple flowers, but you will get the same effect--green gracefully arching foliage and spiky flower stalks. 2. Buddleia davidii otherwise known as butterfly bush) is a favorite in butterfly gardens. It’s not a native plant however. Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), pictured above, is a great substitute, and butterflies love it just as well. 3. Who doesn’t love roses? The problem with some of them, the multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) for instance, is that they spread everywhere. With its fragrant pink flowers, the Carolina rose (Rosa carolina) is a terrific alternative. 4. Yes, ornamental grasses are a step up from traditional turf, but sometimes it’s a case of grass gone wild. In certain parts of the country such as the central and southern coast of California and the southern United States, pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), a striking ornamental grass native to the pampas of South America, can sometimes becomes invasive. If this is the case where you live, try sugarcane plume grass (Saccharum (Erianthus) giganteum). 5. Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) is a pretty yellow flower in the buttercup family that is on the noxious weed list in 46 states. Try another pretty yellow flower called green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum ) instead. |
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